As the end of the year is fast approaching, I’ve found myself thinking about how much I have accomplished thus far this crazy year.
For the last two years, my goal has been to focus on personal growth because I want to live a more purposeful life. There are still many things I need to work on, but I’m happy to be headed in the right direction. I’ve set goals for myself and yet slowly but actively I have achieved them. It all starts with a positive mindset and the desire to improve.
WHAT IS PERSONAL GROWTH?
Personal growth is like success. Both look different for each person. While success has an actual definition (the accomplishment of an aim or purpose), personal growth is not directly defined. It can mean personal development, self-help, self-growth, self-improvement.
Whenever you seek to better yourself in any way – be it your temperament, your formal education, or your maturity, you are seeking personal growth. It is all about improvement.
When you think about bettering your temperament, education, maturity, you are pursuing personal growth.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
People are different from one another, and what works for one, might not work for another. This means that you must explore the various techniques and ways for personal growth to find what is suitable for you. There is not a clear-cut personal growth strategy. It is up to each individual to develop their own personal growth journey.
Successful personal growth is not only about the value to your own life, but value to those around you and the society.
Personal growth can help you in all areas of your life. It will help you grow emotionally and psychologically to become a more loving, compassionate, and positive person.
WHERE TO BEGIN:
The following are just a few tips on how you can begin achieving personal growth:
Self-acceptance – Be aware of your weaknesses and strengths. Understand your talents and capabilities. Know your worth.
Set up short-term goals – Take it one step at a time and set up realistic short-term goals. Sometimes it helps to break down a long-term goal into several short-term ones. By clearly stating your goal, it will help you stay motivated.
Uncover your passion – Find your purpose. Define what makes you unique. Identify what makes you happy and what gets you going each day. What do you look forward to in life?
Continuous learning – Learning is key to personal development. Attaining new skills can lead to various opportunities. Studying topics that interest you help you stay relevant and in the know. Learning opportunities are never ending.
Here are some examples of personal growth goals to help you get started:
- Wake up Early.That old saying “The early bird catches the worm” is true for those who wish to be successful in life. The earlier you rise, the more you can enjoy the sun rise, the warm cup of coffee, and planning your day. Studies show that early risers are happier, healthier, and more productive than their late rising counterparts.
- Build confidence. There are three important factors that determine success: self-confidence, goal setting, and perseverance. Being confident allows you to believe in yourself and you are more willing to try new challenges. A healthy level of self confidence allows you to become successful both personally and professionally.
- Be an active listener.Pay close attention to your surroundings and demonstrate to others that you value their opinions and what they have to say. This helps build trust, demonstrates you are interested, and you can build stronger relationships.
- Improve your growth mindset.Your attitude defines who you are as a person and it the identification point of the state of your mind. You must constantly work on your attitude and strive to make it one conducive for growth. A positive mental attitude can move mountains for you. It helps you to achieve what you want from life.
- Quit procrastinating. Procrastination is a bad habit, but it is 100% possible for you to unlearn it. Strive to utilize time is the most effective manner and avoid stalling by all means.
- Become more proactive. Being proactive is an attractive quality to have. Proactive people take control and actively get things done. Take control, accept your mistakes, find solutions. Try not to waste your energy on things out of your control and don’t just sit back and observe.
- Let go of the past.Inevitably we all have a past that shapes who we are, but it does not define us. You cannot change the past and it should not control or hold you back. Holding on to the past can hinder your personal growth. It is best to set yourself free of the negative experiences, unhealthy relationships, bad habits and live in the present moment to enjoy life.
- Read more frequently. Nothing is more powerful than the treasure of knowledge and the way to acquire this treasure is to read as much as you can. Research has proved that acquiring new knowledge satisfies an individual’s thirst for competence, which makes them eventually happier. You must develop the habit of reading books that will help you to acquire new skills and as well as to polish your existing skills.
- Manage stress effectively.Too much stress can land you up in distress. It impacts not your physical health but also your mental and emotional health. You must know how to effectively manage stress. There are a lot of stress management techniques available these days. So, all you need to develop is the willingness to fight stress. Finding the means to tackle stress is not a challenge these days with help available at the click of a mouse.
- Ignore your limitations. Limiting beliefs hinders your progress by keeping you caught up in your comfort zone and prevents you from trying out new things and stops you from tacking risks for the fear of failure or getting hurt in the process. You can have limiting beliefs about almost anything ranging from money, relationship, success, and the list is endless. It is important to identify your limiting beliefs, conquer them, and reinstate them with positive beliefs that enable you to achieve your dreams in life.
- Share yourself.Become a teacher and share your time, feedback, opinions knowledge and skills. The transfer of knowledge and skills not only benefits the other person but the process it self reinforces the neural pathways of what you know taking you closer to mastery.
- Become more mindful. Strive to become more mindful. It helps you to acknowledge the abundance and the benefits that is already a part of your lives. Instead of spending time thinking about the past which you have no idea of how it is going to be, you must learn to live in the present and enjoy the moments.
- Make better decisions. Develop the habit to make better decisions in life. The choices or the decisions that you make determines the life that you will eventually lead. Your decisions share your life, so it;s all the more important that the better decisions you make, the better your life is likely to be.
Personal growth can help you in all areas of your life. You are the only one that can define your own journey in life. Work hard and stay positive!
References
Dowches-Wheeler, J. (2018, February 20). 7 questions to ask to discover your passion. Retrieved from https://jessicadw.com/blog/find-your-passion
Laibowitz, A. (n.d.). 12 ways to practise self-acceptance. Retrieved from https://www.happiness.com/en/magazine/personal-growth/self-acceptance/
Mulindi, J. (2019, March 12). 3 reasons to continue learning for personal growth. Retrieved from https://www.businessandlifetips.com/2018/09/10/reasons-why-i-consider-continuous-learning-as-a-key-factor-in-personal-growth/
The power of setting short-term goals. (2018, April 10). Retrieved from https://this.deakin.edu.au/self-improvement/the-power-of-setting-short-term-goals
Sasson, R. (2016, May 17). What is personal growth and why you need it. Retrieved from https://www.successconsciousness.com/blog/personal-development/what-is-personal-growth/